Seele jogged all the way until she was far from Orion's shelter before slowing her pace.
She touched her burning ears, her heart pounding.
She didn't know what had come over her just now, but she had hugged Orion on a whim.
Shaking her head, Seele walked through the streets and finally arrived in front of what looked like an abandoned warehouse.
Seele took a deep breath and walked inside.
Inside the warehouse, it was more spacious than it seemed from the outside, dimly lit, but one could see some simple bedding and stacked supplies.
In the center of the warehouse, a dozen figures were gathered together.
Oleg stood in the center of the crowd, saying something.
At this moment, he saw Seele walk in, and his eyes lit up.
"Child, you're here."
Oleg nodded to her.
Seele rushed directly to Oleg, handing him the flyer.
"Mr. Oleg."
She looked up, her eyes firm:
"I want to join the Wildfire!"
Oleg looked at the thin but sharp-eyed girl in front of him, a look of approval on his face.
"Very good, Seele." He took the flyer. "Welcome. From today on, you are a member of the Wildfire."
Some time passed.
Life in Boulder Town remained difficult, but with the emergence of the Wildfire, order gradually began to be restored.
Oleg and his people began to patrol the town, driving away Fragmentum monsters approaching the town, stopping the bullying of vagrants and thugs, and even organizing manpower to clean the streets and repair damaged houses.
Although their power was limited, their actions were very proactive, and they quickly won the goodwill of the residents of Boulder Town.
Natasha's clinic also gained a firm foothold in Boulder Town.
Her superb medical skills and kind heart earned her the trust of many residents.
Although the clinic was simple, patients came for treatment every day.
This afternoon, there were no patients in the clinic.
Natasha was organizing medicines when the curtain was pulled aside, and a figure walked in.
Natasha looked up.
When she clearly saw the person, her pupils suddenly contracted.
That black-haired brat.
Orion.
He came.
Natasha's heart sank.
The moment she saw Orion, she knew that what was coming had finally arrived.
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and forced a smile onto her face.
"Orion? Why are you here?"
Orion walked to the table, looked at her, with a childlike smile on his face, but his eyes held a maturity unsuited for his age.
"To visit Natasha."
He pulled up a chair and sat down. "And to see how business is at the clinic."
"Oh, business is so-so."
Natasha replied, but her heart was extremely wary.
This child, ever since they met at the Orphanage last time, had changed.
That look in his eyes... it made her feel very uneasy.
Natasha didn't want to beat around the bush with him.
"Are you looking for me for something?" she asked directly. "Just say it."
Orion looked at her, the smile on his face receding a little.
"Natasha, do you still remember our previous agreement?"
"I said that whatever I ask you to help with, you have to help me. Does it still count?"
Natasha's fingers trembled slightly.
Of course, she remembered.
"What if I say no?"
Natasha thought for a moment, intending to test the waters first.
Orion seemed a little surprised, raising an eyebrow and saying:
"The kind-hearted Doctor Natasha, going back on her word?"
Natasha felt a lump in her throat at his words.
"You tell me what you want me to help with first, then I'll decide."
Seeing that she wouldn't easily give in, Orion stopped wasting words.
"Do you know about the Wildfire?"
Upon hearing that term, Natasha's heart tightened, but she didn't show it on her face.
"Wildfire?" She feigned confusion. "I've heard a little about it, seems like a newly established militia organization or something. What about it?"
Hearing this, Orion laughed.
That smile carried a cunningness that saw through everything.
"Doctor Natasha, you're really bad at playing dumb."
Natasha's heart sank.
"What do you mean? Playing dumb about what?"
Orion didn't answer.
He just quietly looked at Natasha, his gaze as if it could see through her deepest secrets.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a bombshell, directly hitting Natasha's heart.
"That Oleg of the Wildfire is just the leader on the surface."
Orion said, "Natasha, you are the true leader of the Wildfire... You two had contact early on, and then jointly formed the Wildfire. Am I right?"
Natasha was completely shocked.
How did he know so clearly?!
This matter was clearly only known to her and Oleg...
No, could it be Oleg?
And Orion seemed to see through her thoughts.
"Oleg didn't tell me."
"As for how I know, hehe, you can guess."
Natasha looked at Orion, who was clearly just a brat, yet the oppressive aura emanating from him sent chills down her spine.
He was like a mastermind hidden in the shadows, as if he knew everything and saw everything clearly.
"So?" Natasha feigned composure. "What do you plan to do?"
Orion leaned forward, his black eyes staring intently at her.
"Me, well, it's simple..."
A smirk played on his lips, a smile that made Natasha's heart flutter with unease.
"I just want to be the behind-the-scenes leader of the Wildfire."
The behind-the-scenes leader of the Wildfire?!
Natasha was stunned.
A child, wanting to be the behind-the-scenes leader of an organization that controls the entire Underworld?
A strong sense of absurdity and resistance welled up in her heart.
"No, you're just a child, how can you..."
"This isn't a request, it's an order."
Orion interrupted her, coldly saying, "Have you forgotten our agreement?"
Natasha's mind raced, weighing her options.
That agreement did exist, and she owed him a favor.
But, to let a child manage the Wildfire? This was insane!
The Wildfire carried the hopes of too many people, and concerned the future of the Underworld; it wasn't child's play!
Even if it meant breaking her promise, she absolutely could not agree.
"No, I refuse. Ask for something else."
Orion raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming somewhat playful.
"I only have this one request."
"I'm afraid I cannot comply."
Natasha stood her ground.
Orion looked at her, the smile on his face gradually disappearing, replaced by a cold threat.
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell others about your private dealings in Fragmentum monster parts?"
Natasha's eyes flickered with panic for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
"Who would you tell? Who would care?"
"Don't forget, the Underworld no longer has the Silvermane Guards."
Orion smiled, "Natasha, you're being unreasonable."
"Say what you want."
Natasha looked at him, thinking that no matter what Orion asked for, as long as it didn't involve the leadership of the Wildfire, she could agree.
Only this one thing, absolutely not.
"Alright..." Orion looked at her, seemingly having anticipated this. "I guessed you'd say that."
He paused, and Natasha thought he was about to give up.
"How about this."
"I have something here you want to know. How about we exchange it?"
Orion suddenly suggested.
"Nothing is possible," Natasha flatly refused. "I'm not interested either."
However, Orion's next words were like a sharp dagger, instantly piercing through all of Natasha's pretense and defenses.
Orion looked at her and said clearly:
"About your brother."
Natasha's body trembled violently.
Brother?!
"Actually, he's not dead," Orion said.
Her mind went blank.
Brother... Vache?
Natasha was an orphan from the Underworld, later adopted by a doctor's family in the Overworld. Although they were not blood-related, she and her adopted brother—Vache—had a deep bond. Vache had always been an object of her admiration.
Vache was devoted to medical research, especially eager to develop drugs that could withstand the blizzards.
However, this obsession gradually became twisted, and he began dangerous experiments, eventually crossing the line.
When his actions were discovered, Oleg, then the Silvermane Guards captain, expelled Vache to the snowfields outside the Overworld.
Vache had been unheard of ever since.
Over the years, Vache had been the deepest scar in her heart.
Natasha had always believed that her brother had passed away in that icy wilderness.
She had always felt guilty, thinking that she hadn't cared for him, hadn't stopped his experiments in time, which led to him making such irreparable mistakes.
But what was Orion saying?
Her brother, he's not dead?
"You... what did you say?" Natasha's breathing quickened. "How do you know about my brother? Is he really not dead?!"
Orion looked at her distraught state, knowing he had found her weak spot.
"You don't need to know how I know."
Orion said, "In short, your brother isn't dead, and... I know where he is."
Natasha was completely stunned.
Years of guilt, self-reproach, and longing for Vache all erupted at this moment.
She thought she would never see him again, that he had long been buried in the snowfields.
But... Orion said he wasn't dead, and he knew where he was?
A strong impulse surged through her—she wanted to see her brother, at all costs!
Just as Natasha's heart was violently wavering, Orion's voice sounded again:
"As long as you let me take power, be the behind-the-scenes leader of the Wildfire, and have you issue commands... I will let you see your brother."
There seemed to be a certain magic in his words, every single one precisely hitting Natasha's soft spot.
Natasha's mind was in chaos.
She only felt her consciousness beginning to blur, her reason slowly disintegrating.
Vache... brother... see him...
"...Okay."
On a whim, Natasha's mouth made the decision for her.
Her mind could no longer think normally, only the thought of "seeing her brother" remained.
She agreed.
Orion looked at her, his black eyes full of triumph.
He won again.
He, Orion, a nine-year-old child, was about to become the behind-the-scenes leader of the Underworld organization—the Wildfire.
Natasha stood rooted to the spot, trembling, her eyes clouded with a mist.
"Then, happy cooperation, Natasha."